a student she cared
about… He was so much more than that and they both knew it.
“Hi.” She shivered against the blast of cold air that had
her nipples puckering beneath her thin cotton tank top. Pulling her hoodie
around her mid-section, she asked, “Where’s your shadow tonight?”
He gave her a thorough once-over, letting her know that he’d
already seen it all and hadn’t forgotten a damn thing. “She’s bakin’ cookies
with her nana.” He propped a hand against the doorframe and leaned into her.
“You alone, or what?”
Telling him that she wasn’t would be so easy, but the promise
of spending some alone time with him was impossible to resist. “Yeah, why?”
“Aren’t ya gonna invite me in?”
The subtle scent of his cologne seemed to seep into her
pores as she remembered how being one with him felt. “I’m not sure that’s a
good idea.” A car drove slowly past, and she knew one of the well-meaning
neighbors was probably checking up on her when they saw an unfamiliar truck
parked outside. The last thing she needed was for people to start gossiping
about her houseguest, but sending him away seemed unthinkable. In spite of her
mock protest, she knew she couldn’t let him go until she found out why he came.
“You have plans tonight?” His eyes raked over her, settling
on her lips.
She licked her lips, smiling when he groaned. Knowing she
had that kind of power over him was a powerful stimulant indeed. “No, I told
Paul I needed a little alone time this weekend.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Really? Why’s that? You havin’ second
thoughts about him?”
Charlene wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of admitting as
much, but she knew her relationship with Paul had run its course. She just had
to figure out how to let him down gently, without hurting his feelings. “Can’t
a girl just take a few days for herself without everyone questioning her about
it?” She didn’t mean to sound so defensive, but between Paul, her parents, and
now Cole, you’d think she’d announced she intended to take a year sabbatical to
retreat to Tibet.
He slid a finger under her chin, coaxing him to look her in
the eye. “You wanna tell me what’s really goin’ on with you? You haven’t been
yourself the past few days. I know something’s eatin’ at you.”
She closed her eyes against the powerful image his words
evoked. Damn him. Why couldn’t he just leave her alone? Maybe then she’d be
able to move on with a nice guy like Paul. Seeing Cole nearly every day was the
problem, but she couldn’t find the courage to demand he keep his distance, not
when she looked so forward to their daily coffee breaks.
Reaching for the front of his leather jacket, she pulled him
inside and closed the door. “No sense letting all the heat out.”
“I don’t think you need to worry about that, darlin’,” he
said, moving in to inhale her scent. “You and I are generatin’ enough heat to
set this house on fire.”
He was right; she could feel the sexual tension like a
living, breathing entity between them. “Um, I just made a pot roast. Have you
had dinner yet?”
He trailed a finger over her cheek as he stared her down. “I
didn’t come here for dinner.”
She knew why he came; it was obvious from the look in his
eyes, his stance, and every word that remained unspoken between them. “Well, I
was just about to eat. You’re welcome to join me.”
“I’m hungry,” he whispered in her ear, stirring her hair
with his hot breath. “But not for food.”
Lord help her.
What had happened between them when she followed him home
from Dixie’s was supposed to be an anonymous one-night stand, nothing more.
After the way he kicked her out, she never imagined they’d become friends, but
all of the coffee breaks, field trips, and class projects he volunteered for
meant they spent a lot of time together in recent months. And she saw a side of
him others clearly didn’t. He was so much more than just the
about… He was so much more than that and they both knew it.
“Hi.” She shivered against the blast of cold air that had
her nipples puckering beneath her thin cotton tank top. Pulling her hoodie
around her mid-section, she asked, “Where’s your shadow tonight?”
He gave her a thorough once-over, letting her know that he’d
already seen it all and hadn’t forgotten a damn thing. “She’s bakin’ cookies
with her nana.” He propped a hand against the doorframe and leaned into her.
“You alone, or what?”
Telling him that she wasn’t would be so easy, but the promise
of spending some alone time with him was impossible to resist. “Yeah, why?”
“Aren’t ya gonna invite me in?”
The subtle scent of his cologne seemed to seep into her
pores as she remembered how being one with him felt. “I’m not sure that’s a
good idea.” A car drove slowly past, and she knew one of the well-meaning
neighbors was probably checking up on her when they saw an unfamiliar truck
parked outside. The last thing she needed was for people to start gossiping
about her houseguest, but sending him away seemed unthinkable. In spite of her
mock protest, she knew she couldn’t let him go until she found out why he came.
“You have plans tonight?” His eyes raked over her, settling
on her lips.
She licked her lips, smiling when he groaned. Knowing she
had that kind of power over him was a powerful stimulant indeed. “No, I told
Paul I needed a little alone time this weekend.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Really? Why’s that? You havin’ second
thoughts about him?”
Charlene wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of admitting as
much, but she knew her relationship with Paul had run its course. She just had
to figure out how to let him down gently, without hurting his feelings. “Can’t
a girl just take a few days for herself without everyone questioning her about
it?” She didn’t mean to sound so defensive, but between Paul, her parents, and
now Cole, you’d think she’d announced she intended to take a year sabbatical to
retreat to Tibet.
He slid a finger under her chin, coaxing him to look her in
the eye. “You wanna tell me what’s really goin’ on with you? You haven’t been
yourself the past few days. I know something’s eatin’ at you.”
She closed her eyes against the powerful image his words
evoked. Damn him. Why couldn’t he just leave her alone? Maybe then she’d be
able to move on with a nice guy like Paul. Seeing Cole nearly every day was the
problem, but she couldn’t find the courage to demand he keep his distance, not
when she looked so forward to their daily coffee breaks.
Reaching for the front of his leather jacket, she pulled him
inside and closed the door. “No sense letting all the heat out.”
“I don’t think you need to worry about that, darlin’,” he
said, moving in to inhale her scent. “You and I are generatin’ enough heat to
set this house on fire.”
He was right; she could feel the sexual tension like a
living, breathing entity between them. “Um, I just made a pot roast. Have you
had dinner yet?”
He trailed a finger over her cheek as he stared her down. “I
didn’t come here for dinner.”
She knew why he came; it was obvious from the look in his
eyes, his stance, and every word that remained unspoken between them. “Well, I
was just about to eat. You’re welcome to join me.”
“I’m hungry,” he whispered in her ear, stirring her hair
with his hot breath. “But not for food.”
Lord help her.
What had happened between them when she followed him home
from Dixie’s was supposed to be an anonymous one-night stand, nothing more.
After the way he kicked her out, she never imagined they’d become friends, but
all of the coffee breaks, field trips, and class projects he volunteered for
meant they spent a lot of time together in recent months. And she saw a side of
him others clearly didn’t. He was so much more than just the
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